1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to interactive game play. More specifically, the present application relates to the real-time and contextual display of ranked, user-generated game play advice rendered to aid a user with interactive game play.
2. Description of the Related Art
Improvements in processing power and graphics quality have led to increasingly complex interactive gaming environments. For example, the PlayStation®3's RSX graphics processor allows for freedom of graphics expression in creating next-generation, real-time 3D imagery. Working in tandem with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s Cell Broadband Engine™ Architecture, RSX processor rendered graphics are unparalleled in quality and realism.
Increasingly complex gaming environments have, in turn, resulted in more complex story lines, game play objectives, missions and tasks, and capabilities associated with game play avatars. As a result, interactive game play has become more challenging even for experienced game players. If a game becomes too challenging, however, game players may forsake future game play out of frustration.
To help game players overcome obstacles or achieve goals in a variety of interactive games, various content providers have begun publishing game magazines. These magazines provide game players with a ‘walk thru’ that tell the reader/game player where to go and what to do in order to ‘win’ the game or obtain the highest possible score. Hints or suggestions with respect to special moves or avatar capabilities may also be described in these gaming magazines.
While these magazines may be informative, they suffer from a number of drawbacks. If the magazine is not published by an official source (e.g., an official partner of the game developer), the magazine may omit essential information. In some instances, an unofficial magazine may publish incorrect information. Incorrect information may also result from the tendency to rush and publish these magazines concurrently with the release of an interactive game title to allow for concurrent purchase—even if the magazine is published by an official source.
Game players may also discover ‘Easter Eggs’ or other secrets during the course of game play. These secrets may not be a part of even an official magazine due to the fact that some game design engineers ‘slip in’ these Easter Eggs without the knowledge of the magazine publisher. Many interactive games also allow for the creation of special moves that may not have initially been conceived of by the game developer. As a result, these special moves are not a part of the game play magazine—official or otherwise—as their development occur after the magazine and associated game has gone to market.
Once game play magazines publish, subsequent editions tend not to be published. The lack of subsequent, updated editions may further the information that may be withheld from game players. Unique game play situations or circumstances may not become apparent until the interactive game is played by a large number of game players. These situations and circumstances may not be addressed in the gaming magazine thereby leaving game players at a loss as to how they may properly address the same.
In contrast, the Internet offers the opportunity for endless publishing and republishing of information. If a particular solution is not offered in a game magazine, that solution may subsequently be published on the Internet.
Notwithstanding endless publishing possibilities, websites on the Internet are often decentralized and unorganized. In some instances, there is no ‘official website’ as game developers may wish for game players to purchase a ‘for fee’ official magazine rather than access a free on-line website. Additionally, one website may offer one solution for one particular game play situation whereas another website may offer a solution for another situation. In order for a game player to obtain a complete ‘walk thru’ of a particular interactive game, the user may have to visit multiple websites on the Internet. Since these websites tend to be ‘unofficial,’ there is often an issue with the veracity or accuracy of the information displayed on these websites.
A further lacking in the aforementioned prior art solutions is the fact that this information—regardless of source, thoroughness, or quality—is that the information lacks contextual relevance. Some game play environments include a variety of ‘acts’ or ‘levels’ of game play; these scenes or levels often include a variety of subsidiary ‘scenes’ or ‘stages.’ For example, a game based on the D-Day military offensive may involve four scenes: crossing the English Channel; advancing up Omaha Beach; taking artillery positions at the head of the beach; and securing numerous military objectives in the French countryside. Game play advice concerning how to best maneuver an LCM Landing Craft while crossing the English Channel has no value to the game player that currently needs advice on how to best conduct a room-to-room search in the bombed out buildings of the nearby town of Bayeux. Locating the contextually appropriate game play advice may be time consuming if not confusing to a game player in the ‘heat of battle.’
The aforementioned prior art game play advice solutions are also wanting for lack of real-time provisioning of information. Many of today's interactive games are incredibly realistic, action-intensive simulations such as Warhawk from Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. A game player often finds themselves ‘in the zone’ with respect to game play. If a game player is continually forced to interrupt game play (e.g., ‘pausing’ the game) in order to flip through pages of a game play magazine or click-thru various pages of content on the Internet, the game player will quickly find themselves losing their rhythm. In such complex game play environments, loss of that rhythm may be to the detriment of continued game play regardless of any hints or information that may have been acquired during the interruption.
Many games are also network or community-based with multiple players located around the country or around the world. Such games may occur in real-time. In certain of these games, the interruption of game play through ‘pause’ functionality may not be an option as may be available in a single-player game environment. The game player may be forced to drop out of a particular network game because the gaming environment cannot both exist in a timed-out/paused state for one game player yet continue in real-time for all others.
While some network or community-based games may allow for a ‘pause’ or other ‘time out’ feature, doing so may be to the detriment of the player invoking the interruption. In some games, for example, other game players may continue to advance through the game play environment by obtaining objects of value or reaching objectives within the environment. In other games, competing and non-paused players may position themselves to take retributive action on the ‘paused’ game player when they re-enter the gaming environment. For example, a non-paused player may sneak up behind a ‘paused’ player in a combat environment and assassinate the ‘paused’ player at point-blank range as the ‘paused’ player is unable to observe or react to events in the game environment while in a paused state.
There is a need in the art for game play advice that is complete and up-to-date regardless of when a particular interactive gaming title is released. Further, there is a need for game play advice that is pervasive and easily accessible to game players. There is also a need for game play advice that is accurate and credible such that game players can trust or rely upon the rendered advice. There is a still further need for game play advice that is contextually appropriate and provided in real-time when such information is needed most.